CURRENT &AMP; PAST OCCUPATION

MATT REARDON'S HISTORY

While the young Matt drifted around the country, he rescued a woman from a bar fight and became her odd job man. When her sailboat capsized, he saved her life and nursed her back to health on an island where they began an affair. The woman was Vanessa, although he only knew her as Countess, and she was soon rescued and the couple separated. Serendipity intervened when he moved to Springfield to visit his sister and find a job at Lewis construction. While there, he began a lasting friendship with Josh Lewis. He was sent to do work on an unsuspecting Vanessa's house. This caused some awkwardness and he tried to leave town to spare her embarrassment. However, they couldn't help themselves and soon revamped their affair. Unfortunately, Matt was the frequent victim of mistaken identity and was continually sought by the police. Once this was sorted out, he proposed to her, to the lasting chagrin of her children. Dinah went as far as having herself kidnapped to subvert the wedding, but it went ahead despite the food poisoning all of the guests contracted.

Problems arrived with the return of Amanda Spaulding, in whose company Matt had served as an escort in Malibu. This discovery put a strain on the marriage, but they worked through it before Vanessa was 'killed' in a car accident. He suspected her of faking her death so that her family wouldn't have to deal with the illness she tried to keep secret. He and Dinah searched everywhere for her without luck but he became convinced that, if he could finish their dream house, she would return. When the house was complete, she did return, still sick and pregnant. The couple began to battle over keeping her baby, which was a continual threat to her survival, but she went into premature labor and gave birth to a girl. The child helped the marriage but it hit a rocky patch again when Dinah shot Hart and her mother tried to help her escape. Despite misgivings and the strains of his step-daughter's often disturbed behavior, he was eventually willing to make sacrifices and help Dinah for the sake of his marriage. This included leaving town and helping Dinah hide. Years later, when Dinah finally began to settle down, he and Vanessa decided to return to Springfield to rebuild the life they had there.

Matt arrives to pick up Maureen. She's reluctant to go. He wants to leave. Vanessa asks him to stick around. He searches for beer. As he drinks, his daughter tells him he should be looking for a pretty girl. He doesn't think Vanessa's wedding is the place for that. Bridget and Nola come over and drag him onto the dance floor.